Iraq-+Sabrina+Handal

__**Welcome to Iraq! **__
 * Iraq is a country located in southwestern Asia; it borders the Persian Gulf between Iran and Kuwait. It has a total area of 438,317 sq km, which makes it the 59th largest country. Iraq, the land of the Mesopotamian civilization, is known for its amazing ancient, medieval cities and towns with numerous architectural masterpieces. It is also known for various of its tourist attractions. Iraq is infamous for its wars and recent disputes with the United States and neighboring countries. **
 * **[[image:download (2).jpg width="237" height="256" align="left" caption="Iraq's map"]]Iraq is the home for 31,129,225 people, which makes it the 39th most populated country in the world. The majority of the population is Arab. Many people have fled Iraq due to various violent conflicts. During the last few years, population numbers have increased, but it has started to stabilize. **


 * **This country has a birth rate of 28.19/1,000 (in The United States it is 13.83) and a death rate of 4.73 deaths/1,000 (with 8.4 in USA). This means that more people are being born in the country than dying in it. This fact also informs that there are more young people of child bearing age in Iraq than elders to take care of. A lot of babies are being born due to the low unavailability of contraceptive methods for women in the country. Not as much people are dying due to Iraq having a very large young population. **[[image:Iraq_(orthographic_projection).svg.png width="276" height="267" align="right" caption="Where would you find Iraq in a World Globe"]]


 * **Iraq, along with many other Middle Eastern countries, is currently on stage three is the Demographic Transition Model, which means that its birth rate is dropping and death rate is also declining. Its population is starting to steady. Fertility rates have declined about 10-25%. **


 * It is estimated that Iraq's Net Migration Rate is of 0 migrant(s)/1,000 because i **t has been assumed that if there is balance between the number of immigrants and emigrants, so migration has no impact on a country's population size. People have **** escaped and entered the country due to recent violent disputes, wars, and invasions. Approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan, and lesser numbers to Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Turkey. **


 * **[[image:iraqi-refugees.jpg align="left" caption="Iraqi refugees"]]Infant Mortality Rate (or amount of babies dying before reaching the age of 1 year) is a total of 40.25 deaths/1,000 live births which is not a very good indicator of good economy. This and more factors makes Iraq most likely to be a LEDC (less developed country) which means that a large number of people in Iraq may not have a large access to health care and good treatments or medicines. **


 * **People in Iraq don't seem to be earning lots of money either, (with the average person earning 92.24% less money than someone in the United States) even though this country has large supplies of oil. Being a LEDC means that Iraq is a nation with a low living standard, undeveloped industrial base, and low Human Development Index relative to other countries. **


 * **The Population Growth Rate is of 2.345% which is almost the ideal growth rate in any country. This means that the Iraqi population is growing at a steady rate. It is also ****known as the "Replacement Rate." It will take Iraq 29. 85 years to double its population number, which will be about 62 million people in 2032. In comparison, it will take United States (77.8 years) and Honduras (38.9 years) more time to double its population. This is due stability of its growth rate. **


 * **The Life Expectancy of the total population is of 70.85 years with males averaging 69.41 years and females 72.35 years. People die an average of 7.99 years sooner than in the United States. Life expectancy is lower for men because many of them participate in military or violent actions. Women in Iraq tend to stay at home and take care of their families. **


 * **Major population issues that people in Iraq face include lots of violent disputes, especially between religious and ethnic groups (for example, the Shiite and Sunni Muslims). Infectious diseases, including bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever are an intermediate problem among the Iraqi people. HIV/AIDS don't seem to be something affecting the population in Iraq compared to other countries such as India and Botswana. **

__**References:**__ **https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iz.html** **http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Demographics_of_Iraq.html** **http://middleeastdiscussiongroup.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/issues-in-iraq/** **http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/iraq-facts/** **http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/IQ** //**Page Created by Sabrina Handal 10C**//